The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS): Background and FY2025 Appropriations

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS): Background and FY2025 Appropriations

link to page 1 link to page 1

March 27, 2024
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS): Background and FY2025
Appropriations
Background
Figure 1. USGS Annual Appropriations,
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in the Department of
FY2020-FY2024, and FY2025 Budget Request
the Interior (DOI), provides scientific information to
(in millions)
support the management of water, energy, mineral,
ecosystem, and land resources and to mitigate risks from
natural hazards. The USGS also collects long-term data to
understand and report on the Earth’s geologic and
ecosystem processes, using satellite imagery, mapping, and
ground-based instruments. The USGS has no regulatory
authority and does not manage federal lands.
Congress created the USGS in 1879 in the USGS Organic
Act (43 U.S.C. §31). The USGS Organic Act defined the
initial scope of the USGS:
[The Director of the USGS] shall have the direction
of the United States Geological Survey, and the
classification of the public lands and examination of
the geological structure, mineral resources, and
products of the national domain.
Since 1879, Congress has expanded the USGS’s statutory

authority to “such examinations outside the national domain
Source: Congressional Research Service (CRS), based on enacted
where determined by the Secretary [of the Interior] to be in
appropriations laws and the President’s FY2025 budget request.
the national interest.” This expansion has included activities
Note: The yellow line shows FY2020-FY2023 amounts as adjusted
related to water resources, ecosystems, and natural hazards
for inflation to FY2023 dol ars, using FY2025 Budget of the U.S.
that span the globe. The USGS conducts scientific activities
Government, Historical Tables, Table 10.1.
under interdisciplinary mission areas, and each mission area
has its own budget line (see Table 1 for the mission areas).
Table 1. USGS Funding: FY2023 and FY2024 Annual
The USGS also has budget lines for Science Support
Appropriations and FY2025 Budget Request
(administrative activities and information) and Facilities.
(nominal $, in millions)
Congress typically appropriates funds for the USGS
through annual Interior, Environment, and Related
Mission Area or
FY2023
FY2024
FY2025
Agencies appropriations acts.
Budget Line
Enacted
Enacted
Requested
FY2025 Budget Request
Ecosystems
307.2
299.4
326.1
The President’s budget request for USGS appropriations in
Energy and
104.2
101.1
120.3
FY2025 is $1.578 billion, $122.9 million more than
Mineral Resources
FY2024 annual appropriations of $1.455 billion provided
by Division of E of P.L. 118-42 (an 8% increase; Figure 1).
Natural Hazards
200.3
198.6
210.6
For FY2024, the President requested a 19% increase over
Water Resources
304.4
288.8
309.6
FY2023 annual appropriations of $1.497 billion. The
FY2024 annual appropriation provided a 3% decrease
Core Science
284.6
273.2
313.0
compared with FY2023 annual appropriations.
Systems
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA; P.L. 117-
Science Support
106.3
105.0
118.2
58) provided the USGS supplemental appropriations of
Facilities
188.1
184.1
180.4
$510.7 million, $69.0 million of which are first made
available in FY2025. This total includes $64.0 million for
Total
1,497.2
1,455.4
1,578.3
the Earth Mapping Resource Initiative (Earth MRI) and
Sources: FY2025 U.S. Geological Survey budget justification and
$5.0 million for the National Geological and Geophysical
explanatory statements accompanying P.L. 117-328 and P.L. 118-42.
Data Preservation Program. The IIJA funding for the USGS
is to support scientific studies that address critical mineral
information and geological data preservation.
https://crsreports.congress.gov

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS): Background and FY2025 Appropriations
Note: Table figures do not add to totals shown due to rounding and
Water Resources Mission Area
congressional y directed spending items in FY2023 ($2.1 mil ion) and
The Water Resources mission area monitors water
FY2024 ($5.2 mil ion).
resources and researches water processes. The FY2025
budget requests a 7% increase above the FY2024 enacted
The following sections summarize USGS mission areas and
level for the mission area. This includes increased funding
selected programs in the FY2025 budget request.
for Integrated Water Availability Assessments, federal
priority streamgages, and the National Groundwater Quality
Ecosystems Mission Area
Network. Similar to past budget requests, the
The Ecosystems mission area conducts biological and
Administration requests eliminating the Water Resources
ecological science to inform natural resource management
Research Act Program, a federal-state partnership that
decisions through five programs and cooperative research
conducts regional water research. The budget also requests
units. The FY2025 budget requests a 9% increase above the
decreases for some activities in the mission area.
FY2024 enacted level for this mission area. The largest
program increase for the mission area is for the Land
Core Science Systems Mission Area
Management Research Program, requested at $60.6 million
The Core Science Systems mission area generally focuses
for FY2025 compared with $52.0 million enacted for
on the USGS’s mapping activities and supports science
FY2024. The increase includes supporting science for
across the agency. The mission area includes the National
mapping corridors of big game hunting populations and for
Land Imaging Program, which operates Landsat satellites,
drought response. The budget request proposes decreases
among other activities. The FY2025 budget requests a 15%
for some activities in the mission area, including a decrease
increase above the FY2024 enacted level for the mission
of $1.0 million for the Biological Threats and Invasive
area. This includes an increase of $28.7 million for the
Species Research Program. It proposes to separate the land
National Land Imaging Program, which would support
change science component of the Climate Adaptation
Landsat activities, including Landsat Next development,
Science Centers and Land Change Science Program into a
and a commercial data pilot program. The FY2025 budget
stand-alone program named the Ecosystems Change
also requests increases for a high performance computing
Research Program to ensure “program and budget clarity.”
initiative to advance USGS science data delivery,
particularly for drought and fire science, and for an
Energy and Mineral Resources Mission Area
American conservation and stewardship atlas. The budget
The Energy and Mineral Resources mission area includes
request also proposes decreases for some activities in the
scientific research and assessments related to energy and
mission area, including a decrease of $3.4 million for the
minerals. The FY2025 budget requests a 19% increase
National Geospatial Program.
above the FY2024 enacted level for the mission area. For
Science Support and Facilities Budget Lines
the Energy Resources Program, the budget requests an
increase of $7.1 million above the FY2024 enacted level of
The Science Support budget line includes funding to
$32.6 million, which includes supporting activities related
provide business services and information technology
to geologic carbon sequestration and geothermal energy.
management to operate USGS science programs. The
For the Mineral Resources Program, the budget requests an
FY2025 budget requests a 13% increase above the FY2024
increase of $12.1 million above the FY2023 enacted level
enacted level for the budget line, which includes supporting
of $68.7 million, which includes supporting critical
USGS laboratories and zero-emissions vehicles. The
minerals supply chain analysis and forecasting. The request
Facilities budget line includes funding for rent, facility
also proposes to restructure the Mineral Resources Program
operations and maintenance, and deferred maintenance and
into two components: the National Minerals Information
repair. The FY2025 budget requests a 2% decrease from the
Center and Mineral Resources Research, Surveys, and
FY2024 enacted level for the budget line. Under the budget
Assessments. The USGS asserts that the restructuring
line, the USGS proposes to change the name for the sub-
activity “
would increase budget transparency for the National
Deferred Maintenance and Capital Improvement”
to “
Minerals Information Center. The agency anticipates
Facilities Maintenance, Modernization, and
requesting that the U.S. Chief Statistician within the Office
Restoration” to standardize DOI terms and definitions.
of Management and Budget designate the center as a
Issues for Congress
Recognized Statistical Unit (see 44 U.S.C. §3563).
Congress may evaluate the President’s request for a total
Natural Hazards Mission Area
increase of 8% for the USGS compared with FY2024
annual appropriations, as well as proposed increases and
The Natural Hazards mission area provides scientific
decreases for various activities. Congress also may weigh
information to reduce losses from natural hazards. The
the IIJA supplemental appropriations provided for FY2024
FY2025 budget requests a 6% increase above the FY2024
and advance appropriations for FY2025 ($69.0 million
enacted level for the mission area. This increase includes a
each) when deliberating on discretionary funding for
$7.3 million increase for the Coastal and Marine Hazards
various activities that are funded by the IIJA. Further,
and Resources Program to support research to inform
Congress may consider whether to fund specific requests
climate-related risk assessments, among other activities. It
from Members in FY2025. For example, P.L. 118-42
also includes a $2.2 million increase for both the
funded $5.2 million in congressionally directed spending
Earthquake Hazards Program and the Volcano Hazards
items, also known as earmarks, for the USGS in FY2024.
Program. The budget requests decreased funding for some
Congress also may consider the reorganization and
activities in the mission area, including a decrease of $0.4
renaming proposals related to the USGS in the FY2025
million for the Landslide Hazards Program.
budget request.
https://crsreports.congress.gov

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS): Background and FY2025 Appropriations

Anna E. Normand, Specialist in Natural Resources Policy
IF12620

Disclaimer
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff to
congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of Congress.
Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of information that has
been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in connection with CRS’s institutional role. CRS Reports, as a work of the
United States Government, are not subject to copyright protection in the United States. Any CRS Report may be
reproduced and distributed in its entirety without permission from CRS. However, as a CRS Report may include
copyrighted images or material from a third party, you may need to obtain the permission of the copyright holder if you
wish to copy or otherwise use copyrighted material.

https://crsreports.congress.gov | IF12620 · VERSION 1 · NEW